Louisville Switching Blog

Chuck Duggins is the Louisville Switching Service Manager. He's our resident "answer man." Countless questions flow in every day about the functioning and facts of Ottawa trucks. Since Louisville Switching is your source for all things Ottawa, we started a blog series entitled, "Ask Chuck" to help answer some of the most commonly asked Ottawa questions. If you missed our last Ask Chuck blog, you can read it here.

If companies could help their drivers avoid injuries, you can imagine how much could be saved in medical expenses. Think also about the loss of efficiency if your team is short handed because of injuries. The most common injuries truckers experience can be avoided by using an Ottawa yard truck. Here are three of the most common injuries.

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THE LANDING GEAR. Having to hand crank the landing gear often causes injuries because of repetitive motion, many times to the shoulder, elbow, and wrist.
This injury is common among drivers who work at terminals moving trailers in a truck yard.

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THE FIFTH WHEEL PIN. Disengaging the fifth wheel pin is a common cause of shoulder, elbow, and wrist injuries in truckers. This can be avoided when using an Ottawa Switcher.

-FREQUENT CLIMBING. Using a standard truck to move trailers in a yard requires constant climbing in and out of the cab to crank and connect or disconnect the lines. Using an Ottawa Switcher allows the driver to stay on the platform to connect and disconnect lines.

Drivers do not have to get on the ground to move a trailer in a yard when they are using an Ottawa yard truck. Beyond the obvious increased efficiency (3 to 1), the drivers are safer and experience dramatic reductions in injuries.

According to
Transport Topics, "As of 2007, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 1.4 million truck transportation workers. And each year, one in 18 is injured or made ill by the job."

With those alarming numbers, companies should be looking seriously at the all the safety measures they can take to reduce injuries. This not only helps protect your workers, but you are reducing medical claims, and those savings should be factored into the improvements you are making at your facility.